The argument is that Animal Control has been out there many times (kennel license) as well as Dept of AG after a litter of puppies was pulled from CA and came up with parvo. So the argument is that this foster home has been checked out more thoroughly than any other foster home. Although no one outside of a government employee has set foot on the property and certainly no one with the rescue org.

~Jeanine

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

Animal control tends to have a very different viewpoint on what is acceptable for 'good' care. When I do home visits for adoptions or foster homes, if I would not be comfortable letting that person dog-sit my bombproof dog, I don't feel I can trust them with a rescue dog.

Here is the original message from the foster after inquiries about visiting. There has also been a previous issue about how the husband (XX) has handled dogs in the past.

Hi XXXXXXX, I emailed with XXXXXX and I understand what this is about now. Photos of the fosters are not really the reason you wanted to come out here. XX can take good photos and XXXXX knows that. I am sorry that the vet felt the need to contact you about XX at his clinic the other day, I don't know what happened but I do know that XX is great with dogs, the dogs love him (our 6 adopted dogs and our fosters) and he would NEVER hurt a dog even if I wasn't around to kill him if he tried. He loves dogs as much as I do. Elliot was the dog he took to the vet and Elliot was so excited when XX took him out to play in the snow this evening. XX is firmer than I am. He doesn't let the dogs jump up on him and he won't let them pull the leash, he will tug them back... but he doesn't hurt them, curse at them, yell or them or anything like that. he has plenty of faults but I always tell XXXXXX if he treated me as nicely as he treats the dogs, I'd be in a much better place. I wish I knew what is supposed to have happened at the vet. It contradicts what I am hearing. The vet tells XX that Elliot is doing well and keep on with the meds for 3 more weeks. He tells you he is getting worse instead of better. I can assure you that he is way better. I was in tears to XXXXXX two weeks ago when his mange was so bad he was bleeding and scratching like crazy. Now he has a few baldish patches but the hair is growing in and he is not even scratching anymore so I am not having to give him benadryl.

I realize you don't know us and you have reasons to be concerned but if you are not comfortable believing XXXXX or hearing great feedback from adopters about wonderful healthy dogs being delivered to them, that I fatten up and get shining coats on... then I am willing to pull back and foster elsewhere. I do not want you worrying that any XXX dog is not getting the best care it can have. The XXXX dogs here eat raw (cooked in the kennel microwave until it is just brown), Avoderm, Costco salmon kibble, fresh butcher bones, chicken jerky, milk bones, Costco biscuits, fresh mackerel, hardboiled eggs, cheddar cheese cubes and always, always have fresh water and clean blankets. and are never more than 2 hours between crate breaks. Last potty break at about 1am... first potty break at about 7:30am. I dedicate my days to the pups. everything else has gone to pot but the pups here get the best care and attention I can give them and XX helps. He does not see them much during the week as he works 12 hour days but he helps me with the meet and greets as he is more intuitive as to what the dog is feeling and if the place/people are right for the dog.

If you want to get with us sometime, maybe we can get together... maybe we can bring a dog or two to your home but you cannot come here. XX is extremely private and agreed 3 yrs ago to my fostering so long as it is did not mean invasion of his privacy. He bought a house out here, off the main track, on a dead end to be away from people. he is rather reclusive and keeps himself to himself. he keeps busy with projects and is happy with dogs in his life instead of people.

You can email me at XXXXXXXXXX if you want more clarification but to scrutinize the way we care for dogs... XXXX or any ... is unnecessary. To worry how XX is with dogs is ridiculous, he is probably better with them than I am, I am too soft. They listen to him and love his attention. I have NEVER seen a dog cower or hide from him and I have NEVER seen him hurt a dog. talk a bit gruff yes. tell me to stop them barking, YES. but that is about as far as it goes. He was the one driving in the snow storm in Nov, 5 trips total, to get the pups to SSV to save them when I had the parvo outbreak.

He is the one that carried a pregnant sadie to our car to get to Gig Harbor and he built the welping pen for mom and pups.

He used to raise shepherds and has been around horses and dogs all his life. There is nothing at all to worry about.

~Jeanine

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

I'd say if they don't want you there, fine. Terminate their status as a foster home and give them a time and location (vet's office, maybe) to return the dogs to rescue representatives. Make sure to document it all in writing and even send them the date and time via certified mail so they can't wiggle out of showing up. You may have trouble with getting an officer to accompany you to the home. That may be considered intimidation and most officers won't participate in that.

Well I must preface this to say we wouldn't have foster dogs in a home where there had not been a visit done prior BUT ditto everything Joanna has said. Those dogs would be gone so fast that "fosters" head would spin. The foster contract and all vet bills in our rescue name would be brought along with a police escort to the foster home to get our dogs back.

Michelle, I'm curious which rescue was this? PM that if you need to. I'm asking for a reason.

Maybe I misspoke above. I believe the rescue said, "They never asked much of me." Which is true.

Oh, and this foster home left a different organization under bad terms as well. I believe there was a threatened law suit from them because they wanted a dog back that the foster home had adopted. I think it was a foster failure situation.

Last edited by BigDogBuford on February 25th, 2011, 3:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

~Jeanine

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

I just can't fathom fostering with the expectation that there won't ever be home visits. When I was with rescue, often if people were interested in one of the foster dogs, they would go to the foster home to meet it in a familiar environment, and then it would be taken on a visit to their house. I think it was in our foster contract, too, that the founder could come check on th dogs at any time.

"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

Well, I can see not wanting potential adopters to come to your house. I prefer not to have strangers know where I live. I had an adoption go bad once and was threatened so now I don't do meet and greets at my house. But anyone in the org is more than welcome to come over anytime they like.

~Jeanine

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

Getting some new info that it was some sort of miscommunication regarding the vet info. I have no clue what's going on. I'm kind of glad the whole situation came up because it's brought to light a *much* bigger issue.

Can someone post up their foster contract so I can see it?

~Jeanine

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.